a day at a glance—
clutched in one fist

crumpled
inside a pocket
a clock unfolded

this flimsy bit of newsprint
curled up on a rattling seat

a sleep traveler
by the window

an hour slips through the cracks

Proof of payment lets us
Move in any direction
Until time indicated

–Annie Yu, age 20
From the WritersCorps book “My Name is a Book of Lives” at San Francisco Main Public Library

Love I don’t know how to reject you
When I’m sad you can always comfort me
When I’m happy you make me ecstatic
You stay anywhere
I can find you anytime
Sometimes, you make us lose our reason
I hate you and I appreciate you too
Love, you are candy
You are poison too
I always imagine I can control you, Love
I can control myself
However, that is just my illusion

– Tian Yang (Jessica) Chen, age 18
From the WritersCorps book “Paper Dreams” at International Studies Academy

I love my eyes
I can see the sky and my girlfriend.

I can see my way to school
my eyes are black like my mom’s.

Thank my feet
with you I can play soccer
with my feet I can walk to the park
I can run with my feet.

–Saul Garcia, age 15

From the WritersCorps book “Mangos Have No Borders” at Mission High School
Poem of the Month: November 2009

In English my name means everybody’s name
in Spanish it means a long name, my name
it is like a big tree with lots of leaves
it is like the waves changing and changing
and like flowers because as years pass
many people will have my name

– Catherine Morales, age 14

From the WritersCorps book “My Name is To Grow” at Mission High School
Poem of the month: September 2009

Anything that speaks to you
Hits a certain nerve within you
Doesn’t solely exist on paper

A song
A dance
A living kind of poetry.

– Jocelyn Thompson, age 16

From the WritersCorps book “Paper Dreams” at International Studies Academy
Poem of the Month: August 2009